Boiler-tube cleaner.



V S. M. GOGKBURN.

BOILER TUBE CLEANER. nrmo'uxolr Hum 23.14, 1905.

` 928,361 Patented July 20,1909.

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BOILER TUBE CLEANER.

PatnafJuly 2o, 1909.

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SIDNEY MANTHOB? OOOKBURN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

BOILER-TUIBE CLEANER.

Specification of .Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1909.

Application led April le, 1905. Serial No. 255,616.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, SIDNEY Mauri-roar COGKBURN, subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 72 Bishopsgate street lNithin, in the city of London, England, have invented a new and useful Boiler-Tube Cleaner, of which the following is a specification.

'lhis invention relates to a contrivance for breaking and removing the incrustation which adheres to the interior surface of tubes, particularly the tubes of water-tube boilers.

The contrivance is mechanically operated, preferably by pneumatic power, though, when such power is not available, steam, electrical or other power may be utilized.

'lhe contrivance is secured to the end of an arm which carries a hammer, preferably a pneumatic hammer which is adapted to automatically deliver a rapid succession of blows, the scaling contrivance and operating` device, carried on the arm, being adapted to be inserted through the door, which is normally provided at the end of each of the tubes of the boiler, and moved throughout the length of the tubes, and rotated relatively thereto. y

The principle of operation consists in maintaining an edged tool in pressure contact with the incrustation which is required to be removed and causing it to receive a succession of blows whereby the incrusta tion will be chipped olf in small port-ions.

ln other previous contrivances for removing incrustation in which the edges of the tools are held in contact therewith, the arrangements are such that the energy of the blow of the hammer is adapted to exert a crushing force on the incrustation by applying to the tool a force in a wedge-like m anner. ln such an action' the longitudinal movement of the wedge through a relatively long distance, occupying an appreciable interval of time, robs the blow of its impulsive character and renders the tool very ineicient in dealing with material of a brittle nature for it tends to crush the incrustation more or less to powder instead of effecting a clean cleavage of successive fragments from the surface of the metal by impact concentrated into a minimum time-and space interval. Moreover the frictional sliding of the wedge surfaces on one another will absorb energy and correspondingly still further damp the percussive action of the blow and diminish the efficiency of the operation.

The accompanying drawings show two forms of construction whereby the scaling operation can be effected according to my invention.

Figures l and 2 show an arrangement in which the scaling tools are so mounted that their edges are caused to press normally on the surface of the scale, and on receiving a blow to penetrate the scale which, being of a brittle nature will, on being laterally displaced by the thickness of the penetrating portion of the tool, detach itself in small portions from the metal of the tube. Figs. 3 and i show an alternative method of action in which the edge of the tools are pressed obliquely against the vincrustation. at the place where 'it is attached to the metal of the tube, the tools being so mounted that, on receiving the succession of hammer blows, the separating edges are wedged between the scale and the metal and act in a manner like that 0f an engineers chisel in performing the separation by a chipping operation. Figs. 5, 6 and 7 show how the scaling tool is supported within a tube and so manipulated as to act successively on every part of the internal surface.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, a a are two scaling tools oppositely pivoted at h Z) on a socket c which is secured to a tubular arm Z which contains the pneumatic hammer l, reciprocated in the chamber 2 by means of fluid under pressure introduced through ports 3 and Il. By this means the tool is manipulated and caused to effect the desired result at every part of the internal surface of the tube. The pivoted tool a is provided with a portion extendingfrom the pivot in the direction of the length of the tube, said portion having a round shaped chisel edge al and the tool a is further provided with a portion extending transversely to the tube and having a semi-cylindrical heel a2 which is seated in a corresponding recess formed in the end surface of the head c1 of-a drift ex, the shank e2 of which is adapted to receive the rapid succession of blows delivered by a pneumatic hammer l. Between the shank of the drift and the internal surface of the socket c a helical `spring under compression is inserted under the head el of the drift, which spring will serve to press the edge al of the tool into contact with the incrustation so that, when the blow is struck on the drift, only a small movement of the portion of the tool which receives the blow will be requisite to eiiect penetration and cause the separation of the incrustation. The heel of the tool which receives the blow and the drift which serves as the agent for delivering the blow both move in the direction of the momentum of the hammer and the distance they are permitted to move being so little, and the time interval occupied in the movement being so short, the percussive effect of the blow is correspondingly enhanced and also a minimum amount of the energy of the blow is expended in giving velocity to the moving parts. A chain f may be employed to limit the outward extension of the tools when out of operation, but this is unimportant.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, a modification is shown whereby the chisel edges operate to separate the incrustation from the metal to which it is adherent :-But in this arrangement as in the former, the success of the operation depends on the maintenance of a pressure contact of the edges of the tools with the incrustation to be separated and on the blow being received by a portion of the tool which moves in the same direction as the agent which delivers the blow. In this construction the chisels g g are pivoted at g1 g1 in cylindrical recesses formed in the drift head c1 and are forced into contact with the metal of the tube by means of the helical spring 7L which is interposed between the head c1 of the socket c and the foot l of a presser z' which is guided in a bush which is screwed into the head c1 of the socket. By means of the tubular arm Z the chisel edges are kept up to their work in contact with the incrustation, and each blow delivered on the shank e2 of the diift causes the breaking away of an additional small portion of the scale.

Fig. 5 is a small scale general view shown ing the contrivance mounted on a centering rest in such a way that it can be moved lengthwise along the tube to be cleaned or turned relatively thereto with facility.

The details of the construction of the centering i'est are shown in Figs. 6 and 7 in which it will be seen that the tubular arm l rests on a roller 7c which is mounted on a pin m carried in a rest n which, by means of a rod 0 can be shifted into any required position.

I claim.

l. Apparatus for effecting the separation of incrustation from the interior surface of a Vthe blows to a portion of the tool which moves in the same direction as the drift and a spring for maintaining the drift in pressure contact with the tool and the edge of the tool with the incrustation during the entire operation of the apparatus.

2. Apparatus for effecting the separation of incrustation from the interior surface of a tube, comprising a carrier adapted to be inserted wit-hin the tube, an edged tool supported by the carrier in a pivoted manner, a drift, guided within the carrier, having a portion of the tool seated therein constrained to move in the same direction as the drift, a spring for maintaining the drift in pressure contact with the tool and the edge of the tool with the incrustation during the entire operation of the apparatus and means for striking a succession of blows on the drift.

3. Apparatus for effecting the separation of incrustation from the interior surface of a tube, comprising a carrier adapted to be inserted within the tube, av tool pivotally mounted on the carrier, said tool having an edge-ended portion extending from the pivot in the direction of the length of the tube and a portion extending from the first mentioned portion transversely to the tube, a coiled spring for maintaining the edge of the tool in pressure contact with the incrustation during the entire operation of the apparatus and means for imparting a succession of blows to the transversely extending portion of the tool.

4f. Apparatus for effecting the separation of incrustation from the interior surface of a tube, comprising a carrier adapted to be inserted within the tube, a tool pivotally mounted on the carrier, said tool having an edge-ended portion extending from the pivot in the direction of the length of the tube and a portion extending transversely to the tube having a heel at the end thereof, means for striking a succession of blows, a drift for transmitting the blows to lthe heel and a spring abutting directly on the drift and thereby maintaining the edge of the tool in pressure contact with the incrustation during the entire operation of the apparatus.

5. Apparatus for effecting the separation of incrustation from the interior surface of a tube, comprising a carrier adapted to be inserted within the tube, an edged tool supported by the carrier in a pivoted manner, a drift, guided within the carrier, having an end recess wherein a portion of the tool constrained to move in the saine direction as the drift is seated, a spring for maintaining the drift in pressure contact with the tool and the edge of the tool with the incrustation during the entire operation of the apparatus, and means for striking a succession of blows on the drift.

6. Apparatus for effecting the separation of incrustation from the interior surface of a tube, comprising a carrier adapted to be inserted within the tube, a tool pivotally mounted on the carrier, said tool having an edge-ended portion extending from the pivot l in the direction of the length of the tube and d in pressure Contact with the incrustation 1o uring the entire operation of the apparatus.

In testimony whereof I have signed my naine to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIDNEY MANTHOR-P COCKBURN. Witnesses:

ROBERT ALFRED BLAKE, WALTER J. SKERTEN. 

